Puppets: Popular Types of Puppets and Ventriloquism

Wikipedia names 24 different types of puppets, but here I’m going to cover a few of the more well-known and recognized types, as well as a few cultural types that were mentioned in the textbook.

Popular Types of Puppets
Hand Puppets

Also known as glove puppets, hand puppets are named for their method of control by the puppeteer, the hand.


A clip of The Shari Lewis Show. This show was my vice when I was little…



Punch and Judy was a popular show that consisted of a sequence of short scenes, featuring Punch and his wife, Judy.

Marionettes



A marionette is a puppet that is controlled by either wires or strings on a control bar from above. The puppeteer is called a manipulator.



I thought that this was a particularly good clip because it showcases a variety of different marionettes and the different tricks they can do.

Rod Puppets

Rod puppets gain motion through wooden or wire rods. The rods are attached to the puppet’s arms, and most rod puppets are depicted from the waist up, with the “lower extremities” covered by the stage or dangling freely over the side.


A typical rod puppet, with a good view of the rods that control its arms.

Shadow Puppets

This was one of the types I wasn’t familiar with. Shadow puppetry is Asian in origin, and these shows are created using a cut-out figure held between a source of light and a translucent screen. Focus is also really important when it comes to effect, by either moving the puppet or the light source in and out of focus.


I liked this picture because it showed every aspect of shadow puppetry: the “stage”, the puppet, and the puppeteer.

Muppets

Arguably the most recognized type of puppet in our society, the Muppets are the creation of Jim Henson. The term has even expanded to describe puppets that are similar in style to the original. Muppets are specialized types of hand and rod puppets.


Bohemian Rhapsody, via Muppets…’nuff said.

Vietnamese Water Puppets

Another form I wasn’t familiar with, water puppetry is believed to have originated in the 11th century in Vietnam.



The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. Water puppetry performance occurs in one of three venues: on traditional ponds in villages that have been set up with a stage, on a portable tank for traveling performers, or a theater built specifically for this purpose.

Ventriloquism
Originally, ventriloquism was a religious practice. Ventriloquism is Latin for “to speak from the stomach”, and ventriloquists were though to be able to interpret the dead. Ventriloquism became a form of entertainment around the 19th century, after it became linked to witchcraft.

Today, ventriloquism is incredibly popular.


Comedian ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham


America’s Got Talent winner, Terry Fator.

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Works Cited

"Hand puppet - Rod Puppets." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_puppet#Rod_Puppets.
Jeff Dunham on the Letterman Show. Perf. Jeff Dunham. YouTube. 11 June 2009. Web.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohUYy__8ANg.
"Marionette -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 22 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marionette.
"The Muppets -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muppet.
The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody. YouTube. 23 Nov. 2009. Web.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY&feature=related.
"Punch and Judy -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 21 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_and_Judy.
"Puppet -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 16 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppets.
Scott Land Marionettes. YouTube. 02 May 2006. Web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDY0iHRsU4E&feature=PlayList&p=46BDB7164F4C5729&index=.
"Shadow play -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 19 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_puppet.
The Shari Lewis Show - Lamb Chop - Hush Puppy - Charlie Horse - Shari Lewis. Perf. Shari Lewis. YouTube. 06 May 2009. Web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VybhWrWs4W8.
Terry Fator: Live from Las Vegas (CLIP). Perf. Terry Fator. YouTube. 25 Aug. 2009. Web.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnTSHUI8wNY.
"Ventriloquism -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 20 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventriloquism.
"Water puppetry -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 06 Feb. 2010. Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Puppet.